But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God. Hebrews 10:12
How familiar are you with the furnishings of the tabernacle, in particular, the furnishings of the part of the tabernacle known as the Holy of Holies, where the presence of God was? For the ancient Israelites, everything in that special place was fascinating, especially since only one man was ever given an opportunity to see what was in there, and only on Yom Kippur, and then only after sanctifying himself with special sacrifices and cleansings. On that one day a year, the high priest would enter through a great veil, carrying blood from a carefully sacrificed lamb. Outside the Holy Place where the priests carried out their daily functions was the altar of sacrifice and the brazen laver. Inside the Holy Place were three important items: the golden lampstand that lighted the place, the golden altar of incense, and the table of showbread. Beyond the Holy Place, inside the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, were only two large piece of furniture, although they were together. The Ark of the Covenant was a great gold-covered chest that contained some special items, including the tables of stone on which God had written the commandments. Atop the Ark was the Mercy Seat, the place where the high priest sprinkled the blood on the Day of Atonement. All of these articles of furniture in the tabernacle have wonderful lessons for us as pictures and shadows of Christ and His work for us. But there is one common piece of furniture that we don’t find in the tabernacle. There were no chairs! Nobody ever sat in the courtyard where the sacrifices were made. Nobody ever sat in the Holy Place where the priests functioned, and the high priest never sat in the Holy of Holies. Not until we come to the Lord Jesus do we find a high priest with the right to be seated in the presence of God.
There were two reasons why the high priest never got to sit down in the Old Testament tabernacle. For one, his sacrifices were never finished. The blood of bulls and goats could never take away sins (Hebrews 10:4). For two, he could never place himself as an equal to God. But the Lord Jesus is seated in Glory because He did complete the sacrifice, and because He is equal to His Father.
The phrase ‘one sacrifice for sins forever’ tells us that God is forever satisfied with the sacrifice of His Son. We are reminded of the words, ‘He shall see of the travail of His soul and shall be satisfied’ (Isaiah 53:11). If God doesn’t need any more sacrifices for sins, then neither do we. So the Lord Jesus is seated because that work is finished. He is also seated there because of His right to do so. He holds the place of honour, and holds it forever. This is a good place to quote Philippians 2:9-11: Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Our High Priest sits today in the value of a finished work and in the honour of an obedient and faithful Son. And He bids us draw near to worship Him. -Jim MacIntosh